Solitary
by TheDudeLordOfFantasy
Summary: Everyone needs a little time to themselves...right? Charlie runs away in the middle of the night to be alone with his thoughts. Will his family find him? Sequal to Needed! Oneshot!


Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides original characters and anything you don't recognize from the show.

A/N: This is a sequel to my fic "Needed". You don't need to read that one beforehand to understand this but it might clarify some things I mention.

* * *

Everyone's heard the words 'I promise' before. 

Right?

Everyone has been promised something in their life.

Right?

Someone could promise you a book or a new bike. Or they could promise to remind you to do something or promise not to tell anyone your secrets.

Everyone's had a promise broken at least once in their life.

Right?

That someone could forget to bring in that book for you or tell everyone about that one embarrassing moment where you were considered weak.

People do that and that's the way of life. There isn't a way to forget broken promises and it hurts when you keep remembering that feeling of betrayal.

Well he couldn't stop thinking about that betrayal. He couldn't stop thinking about that one broken promise. He couldn't stop thinking about how he failed her and how she broke her promise to him. The promise was old but that doesn't mean it could be broken without a bit of pain.

The night was quiet and he was all alone again. That was how he liked it. He was afraid of heights but for some reason being on the roof seemed to calm him. The way he felt closer to her. The way he could actually feel the wind caress his entire body and not just his curls made him feel comforted.

He knew his father was asleep and that was the only time he'd be able to get up there without scaring him.

It had been a few weeks since Don convinced him to come out of his room. Things were almost back to normal and that little incident was fading into the back of his family's minds.

But to Charlie it would never fade.

He was used to being considered weak and he was tired of it. He knew that his father still saw him as his little boy and Don saw him as his baby brother but he didn't want that.

He was a grown man. He could take care of himself.

No one cares when Don constantly drinks himself silly.

Why can't he be left alone for a couple of days?

Why does everyone have to be right on matters of emotions when he always gets it wrong? How can he be so smart but miss the slightest things?

Why did he always have to wear his soul on his sleeve?

Thoughts swirled in the twenty-eight year olds mind and he sighed. His thoughts were redirected back to the reason he went up on the roof in the first place.

"Promises were meant to be broken," he whispered quietly. "I just wish that broken promises never left a broken heart."

He pulled his knees slowly and carefully up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them; his curls slightly shadowing his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered burying his face into his knees. "I thought you'd wait for me like you promised. You promised that you'd always be there for me and I believed you."

He lifted his head and looked up at the clear night sky. The moon glinting in his eyes.

"I believed you…"

His eyes became soft again and the wind started up. His watch said it was two thirty in the morning and he would've realized that he'd been up there for almost three hours if he looked.

He just sat there in silence waiting for some response, but there was none.

He promised Don that he wouldn't go anywhere and he knew his family couldn't stand another broken promise. He had kept his word so far but he didn't know if he'd be able to any longer.

Guilt was riding him and so was the loss of the only one who understood him. It was almost too much for him to take.

But one good thing did come out of the entire incident. Don was coming by more often and talked to him. He still worked the cases with him and the thought of failure was constantly there but Don never left when he needed him.

_Just like she never left him when he needed her._

Charlie stood suddenly and almost lost his balance. That's what had to be done. He had to do it. What did it matter if he broke his promise? So many promises that had been made to him had shattered already.

His family wouldn't care; they might even be relieved that they wouldn't have to worry about him anymore.

Charlie slowly climbed down from the roof using the drainpipe. He couldn't enter the house because his mothers framed gaze in the hall would stop him.

He felt himself slip and fall but luckily he was only a few feet from the ground so he didn't hurt himself. He got up slowly not able to believe that he was doing what he was doing.

He glanced up at the house for a few more seconds before he grabbed his bike that was leaning against the fence, and started to hastily peddle down the street.

He didn't look back.

* * *

When Alan got up that morning he didn't think anything was out of the ordinary. 

He got up, made a pot of coffee, and read the paper. He waited for Charlie to come downstairs for breakfast or to at least tell him he was off to school but he didn't come downstairs at all.

Alan thought he might've slept in so he went to his son's room to find it empty. He didn't even spend a moment wondering where he was. Sometimes Charlie would bike to school early to work on some equation or to prepare for one of his lectures.

So he didn't spend that much time wondering where his son was.

He'd be back later and they'd spend time talking about what a rush he left in that morning.

Alan sighed and closed his son's door.

His sons could be so forgetful at times.

* * *

Charlie had no idea where he was going. Its not like you can get to many places by bike nowadays. So he made it to a bus stop and decided that wherever its last stop was that's where he was headed. 

He left his beloved bike but didn't give it a second glance.

Some things had to be sacrificed.

All Charlie had with him was his wallet. He didn't have much cash on him but he had his ATM card handy so he wouldn't be out of money anytime soon.

He fell asleep on the bus and woke up almost two hours later way outside of LA. He decided that he'd get off at the next stop, get some breakfast and decide what he would do next.

He got off in a small neighborhood with large dirty buildings and busy streets. He spotted a small diner a small distance down the block with an ATM machine outside it. He got some cash out of the machine and wandered into the old fifties style restaurant.

He sat down in a booth by a dirty window and looked out of it. He didn't notice when a middle age woman came up to his table holding a pad of paper and a pen. She was chewing her bright pink gum loudly and looked bored. Charlie didn't look up until she cleared her throat loudly.

He looked at her for a moment before realizing what she wanted.

"What can I getcha?" she asked her pen poised over the paper.

"Umm…" Charlie thought for a moment. "Coffee and toast."

"That it?" the waitress asked writing down his order.

He nodded.

"Alrighty," she said turning. "It'll be right out."

"Thank you."

Charlie looked at his watch and seemed surprised. He didn't realize how late it was. It was almost noon.

He sighed and rubbed his hands against his eyes.

Why had he decided to leave? He had classes to teach. Why had he been so rash? Rashness is what killed Romeo and Juliet after all. Shouldn't people have learned from them?

He ran his fingers though his hair.

He just needed some space without everyone always there. He needed to be by himself for a couple days. He'd go back eventually but he just needed some time to be alone.

No one would worry about him.

He'd be back soon.

* * *

Alan had just walked into the house dirty and sweaty from the yard work when the phone rang. He grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and took a gulp before answering it. 

"Hello?"

"Mr. Eppes?" a questioning voice on the other line answered. "Good afternoon it's Larry."

"Why hello Larry I haven't talked to you in some time. How are you?"

"I'm fine but I was actually wondering where Charles was today. He was supposed to be giving my graduating class a lecture and didn't show up. But that's not what really bothered me. Its just when I asked Amita where he was she said he wasn't at any of his classes and I just found that extremely odd."

"What do you mean? He isn't at school?" Alan asked starting to get worried.

"No, Mr. Eppes," Larry replied. "I searched for him everywhere but I was unable to find him. No ones seen him on or off campus today and he's not answering his cell phone."

"Oh god…"

"Mr. Eppes…" the man on the other line started but was cut off.

"Larry let me call you back ok?"

Without waiting for a reply he hung up the phone but then immediately dialed another number.

What was going on? Where was his son?

* * *

Don was sitting in his office looking through various papers that were spread across his desk. He had received a new case the day before and so far they had no leads. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. 

"Need anything?" a voice asked from the door.

Don looked up to see Terry leaning against the doorframe with a cup of coffee in her hands.

"No," he said quietly turning back to his work. "thanks," he added as an after thought.

"Do you think we'll find this guy?" she asked walking closer to his desk.

"Yes," he said flipping the manila envelope containing the papers shut and sat back in his chair with a sigh. "We almost always do."

She smiled. "Glad to see you're being optimistic for once."

He smiled back when his phone rang. He picked it up off the desk.

"Eppes," he answered it.

"Don is Charlie with you?" his fathers worried voice asked quickly.

Don's smile faded.

"No, Dad," he answered then heard his father sigh. "Why? What's going on?"

"When I got up this morning Charlie wasn't here so I thought he left early to work on something but Larry just called and said no one had seen him all day. His bike's gone and it doesn't look like he'd slept in his room last night…"

Don cut off his frantic father.

"Dad calm down," he said gently.

"Calm down?" his father asked loudly. He was apparently losing it. "This is not like your brother. Nobody knows where he is and he doesn't have his cell phone with him. How in gods name do you expect me to calm down?"

"Dad, sit down and take a few deep breaths. I'll be right over and we'll try to find him. Alright?"

Terry looked at Don quizzically. What was going on?

Alan sighed quietly. "Alright, Don. I'm sorry I'm just worried about him. You know your brother and how he is."

"Yea Dad, I know, but it'll be ok. You know how forgetful he can be. Maybe he forgot what day of the week it was or just forgot to leave a note. We'll find him Dad. I promise. I'll see you in a bit."

He hung up the phone and stood up quickly grabbing his coat.

"What's wrong?" Terry asked following Don who rushed out the door.

"Charlie's missing and my Dad is freaking out," he said making his way to the elevators.

"Where do you think he is?"

"I don't know and I have to agree with my dad," he pushed the button of the elevator signaling a downward descent. "This is not like him."

* * *

Terry insisted on coming with Don to his house saying that she had nothing better to do. She liked Charlie. He was a sweet guy and a good friend to her. She wanted to know what was going on and to help find him. 

Don vaguely told her about an incident that happened with him a few weeks ago, where he refused to leave his room but that was awhile ago and she knew Don thought that episode had passed.

Maybe he was wrong.

The car ride there was mostly silent with only the dull radio making noise.

Terry, in the passenger seat, finally spoke up after almost ten minutes of complete silence.

"I never had any siblings," she said quietly hoping to engage Don in a conversation. "I always wanted one though."

"You wouldn't want one like Charlie," Don said not taking his eyes off the road.

"Why not?"

"He's different." Don's face was void of all emotion and he kept it faced away from her. "So naïve and he could never…" he sighed gently. "He could never truly understand what it's like to actually live in the real world."

"Maybe that's a good thing," Terry said quietly.

Don looked at her strangely for a second before turning his eyes back to the road.

"How can that be a good thing?"

"Well, maybe there are too many people out there that think that the world is always bad to everyone. Maybe we need more people who aren't always expecting danger and realizing that there can be peace sometimes."

There was silence for a few more minutes before Don spoke up.

"Charlie could never handle it."

"Handle what?"

"Death. He could never really understand how life could just end. He kept saying that there had to be more than that. When he was five we found a dead bird in the backyard and he wouldn't leave the house for two days. When he was ten our cat died and he wouldn't leave his room for a week. And when our mom got sick he wouldn't leave the garage for months even though he knew she was dying. He wouldn't see her or talk to her…I don't think he actually said goodbye."

Don sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry," Terry said gently. "Being his older brother you had to look out for him and that had to be difficult for you knowing how vulnerable he was."

"He still isn't over it. He was the closest to my mother at times and I know how hard it is for him. She was the only one who understood him."

Terry looked at him and he looked back.

"Well, we're here," he said taking the keys out of the ignition.

"Let's go find him."

* * *

Alan was pacing around the kitchen when his son entered. 

"Don," he said startled slightly as he heard the door open.

"Hey Dad," Don said walking up to his father and placing a hand on his shoulder. Terry followed him into the house and shut the door quietly behind her. "Have you heard from him yet?"

Alan shook his head. "And Larry hasn't found him at any of the places they go to. Where is he?"

Don led his father to his recliner and he and Terry sat down on the sofa across from him.

"Maybe you should call the police and file a missing persons report," Terry suggested.

"Not just yet," Don said leaning forward slightly. "First lets just make sure he's not just upset about something."

Alan thought for a moment. "Don maybe we should call the police."

"Dad, you know how Charlie is," Don said. "Why don't Terry and I go out and look for him and you stay here with the phone."

"Alright," Alan said as all three of them stood. Don and Terry wandered to the door. "Call if you find him."

"Will do Dad." Don looked into his father's eyes. "Hey, it'll be okay. I promise."

They walked back to Don's car and pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

Around ten minutes after his departure from his childhood home they stopped at another quiet coffee shop that Charlie might frequent at when Don's cell phone rang. He reached into his pocket and fished it out. 

"Eppes."

"Don?" a small voice said quietly on the other line.

"Charlie," Don almost yelled glad to hear his brother. "Where are you?"

"I'm not sure," Charlie said slowly. "I'm using a payphone outside this diner somewhere outside LA."

"How'd you get out of LA without your license? Do you need help? Do you want dad and I to come get you? What are you doing out there?"

The questions kept pouring out of the eldest Eppes brother's mouth with no sign of slowing. It is possible that Don would've kept going if his little brother hadn't interrupted.

"Don, I'm fine. That's not why I called."

"Then why did you call?" he asked curiously.

"I just wanted to tell you not to worry about me," he said quietly. "I'll be home, but I can't be there now. I need some time to myself… is that alright?"

"Sure Charlie," Don said quietly. "But next time tell us. We were about to call the police. Did you call Dad yet?"

He heard Charlie sigh. "No…"

"Why not? He's been worried sick!"

"How can I give him a reason for practically running away when I don't have a reason myself? I just need time to think okay? Can you tell him for me? Please…"

"Alright buddy…I'll tell him. Call when you want to come home."

"Thanks Don… I've got to go…"

"Come home soon okay?"

"Alright…bye Don."

"Bye buddy…"

He hung up and placed his phone back into his pocket with a sigh. He was standing outside the coffee shop while Terry was still in the car. He sighed.

He hoped his brother was alright...

* * *

Charlie found a hotel room to stay and didn't leave the town for a little longer than a week. 

He sat in the room all day thinking about what he was doing.

He wondered if he was doing the right things in his life.

He begged his mother to forgive him for his absence at her side.

He tried to make himself feel at peace.

He didn't obsess about numbers during his stay. He only thought about the past and what the future had in store for him. He sat in the room in silence most of the day but, unlike weeks before, he left the room to eat.

Charlie went back home sooner than Don or his father realized.

He found what he was looking for on the ninth day.

Finally his mind had stopped creating new problems and equations.

Finally his brain slowed down.

Charlie understood things he wouldn't have before.

He knew why his mother had protected him all those years.

He knew why people wouldn't give him a moments peace.

And he finally truly knew that his mother had loved him even though he wasn't there to say goodbye.

He knew…

And when he realized those things he knew he was home.

Home doesn't have to be a material place…it just has to be a place in the mind that makes you feel at peace.

Once Charlie found that peace he knew he had to call his brother.

"Eppes," Don's voice answered.

"Don."

"Charlie?" Don asked recognizing his younger sibling's voice. "Are you alright?"

"Can you come get me?" Charlie asked quietly.

"Sure buddy. Where are you?"

Charlie told him and his voice cracked.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Don said.

"Thanks…"

They hung up and Charlie sat on a small wooden bench outside the hotel. A time later Don appeared in his large black SUV.

He burst out of the driver's seat and practically dove on his brother. He embraced him tightly. He didn't let go for some time and mumbled into his brother's curly hair.

"Dad and I were so worried about you. We missed you so much."

He pulled back, took a good look at his brother and noticed his face.

"You okay buddy?" Don asked.

"I missed you guys," Charlie said feeling the tears well in his eyes.

Charlie realized why his family was always there for him. They weren't there to pester him…they were there to catch him when he wanted to jump…they were there because they loved him. Because that's what family is supposed to do.

"I'm sorry…"

"Charlie, why are you sorry?"

"I just left…I hid…just like when Mom got sick…"

"It's alright," Don said quietly putting his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"How can you tell me that?" Charlie asked looking down. "I always fail you. I'm never there! I always run…"

"Charlie," Don started, making his brother look into his matching brown eyes. "Everyone needs a little time away from reality…even I need time to myself…"

His eyes softened and he felt better.

"Come on buddy, let's go home."

They got up of the bench and wandered to the car talking about what had happened while they were apart.

Charlie smiled. Don understood…finally… he actually understood him…

After all everyone needs a little time to themselves…right?

* * *

A/N: Ok that was my sequel. I kinda like this one, but not so sure. Took me forever to write. I get side tracked easily… hope you enjoyed and please review for me! ;-D 

Thankies!

TheDudeLordOfFantasy a.k.a. Kathleen


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